Petroleum makes up many of the things we use every day-gas for our cars, materials like styrofoam and plastic, and fertilizers. It comes from the fossils of dinosaurs that have been in the ground for millions of years (that's why we call them "fossil fuels!"). Although petroleum can benefit us in many ways, it also has several negative impacts on the environment and it is something we are rapidly running out of.
PROS to the use of oil as an energy source:
-The oil industry has many economic benefits and stimulates the economic growth of countries through buying, selling and trading.
-With our new technologies, drilling can be done without any major negative implications to the environment.
-The oil industry in general provides hundreds of thousands of jobs for citizens.
- Oil products have revolutionized our agriculture by providing us with fertilizers, farm equipment and food packaging/storage.
-Oil is the major and most cost-effective resource used in our transportation needs.
-Using oil for heating and cooking purposes is the simplest way to provide a comfortable lifestyle in our homes.
-Although it is a limited resource, coming up with new technologies to conserve oil is the most cost-effective way to create a comfortable lifestyle.
CONS to the use of oil as an energy source: -The burning of petroleum has negative implications on the quality of the air we breathe, affecting our health and the environment we live in.
-When we burn petroleum, we create holes in the ozone layer, diminishing our protection from the sun.
-Oil is meant to be stored in the ground, so when we extract it with a drill and burn it, we release carbon into the atmosphere. Eventually, we will need to find a way to harness this excess carbon and place it back into the ground.
-The success rate of drilling is low: it takes time, money, and is usually unreliable when it comes to striking oil or not.
-Approximately six million tons of oil per year ends up in the ocean, harming the lives of sea creatures and depleting the production of algae.
-Major "oil spills" can release millions of gallons of oil into the ocean. In the case of the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989, enough oil was dumped into the ocean to fill 125 olympic-sized swimming pools.
PROS to the use of oil as an energy source:
-The oil industry has many economic benefits and stimulates the economic growth of countries through buying, selling and trading.
-With our new technologies, drilling can be done without any major negative implications to the environment.
-The oil industry in general provides hundreds of thousands of jobs for citizens.
- Oil products have revolutionized our agriculture by providing us with fertilizers, farm equipment and food packaging/storage.
-Oil is the major and most cost-effective resource used in our transportation needs.
-Using oil for heating and cooking purposes is the simplest way to provide a comfortable lifestyle in our homes.
-Although it is a limited resource, coming up with new technologies to conserve oil is the most cost-effective way to create a comfortable lifestyle.
CONS to the use of oil as an energy source:
-The burning of petroleum has negative implications on the quality of the air we breathe, affecting our health and the environment we live in.
-When we burn petroleum, we create holes in the ozone layer, diminishing our protection from the sun.
-Oil is meant to be stored in the ground, so when we extract it with a drill and burn it, we release carbon into the atmosphere. Eventually, we will need to find a way to harness this excess carbon and place it back into the ground.
-The success rate of drilling is low: it takes time, money, and is usually unreliable when it comes to striking oil or not.
-Approximately six million tons of oil per year ends up in the ocean, harming the lives of sea creatures and depleting the production of algae.
-Major "oil spills" can release millions of gallons of oil into the ocean. In the case of the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989, enough oil was dumped into the ocean to fill 125 olympic-sized swimming pools.
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=oil_home-basics
http://lsa.colorado.edu/essence/texts/petroleum.htm
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/info_glance/petroleum.html
Petroleum Refinement:
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Petroleum_refining